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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. mine — for digging
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. wound — an injury
  5. chip — for betting
  6. march — the month
  7. wound — an injury
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. deal — to handle
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. prune — to trim
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. prune — to trim
  18. march — music
  19. chip — to eat
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. deal — an agreement

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com